In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday said there have been efforts since he came to power seven years back to turn the country into a "Hindu Rastra".
While referring to the law against instant triple talaq, the Hyderabad MP mentioned the “plight” of Hindu women, directing a personal barb at Modi.
Ending his three-day trip to Uttar Pradesh, where his party plans to contest 100 seats in the upcoming assembly polls, Mr Owaisi alleged that Dalits and Muslms have become victims of mob lynching since 2014.
He mentioned the murder of Mohammad Akhlaq, who was attacked by a mob on suspicion of cow slaughter at a village near Dadri in UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar in 2015.
"Such atrocities are taking place because Modi is the prime minister and the BJP government is helping such elements," he charged at a public meeting at the Imambara near Katra Baradari in Barabanki district.
Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the AIMIM leader said they seek Muslim votes but observe a silence on such attacks on the minority community.
"Ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister, efforts are on to demolish secularism and make the country a Hindu Rashtra," he said.
The district administration had initially denied the AIMIM permission to hold the rally but agreed later after an assurance from the organisers.
Criticising the triple talaq law, Mr Owaisi said, “The BJP leaders talk about injustice against Muslim women subject to talaq but remain mum on the issue of the plight of Hindu women discarded by their men.”
"My bhabhi (PM Modi's wife) stays alone in Gujarat but nobody has an answer for her," he said.
Mr Owaisi asked why the SP and thr BSP “hesitate” to talk against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The law identifies non-Muslim communities in neighbouring countries whose members can seek Indian citizenship on grounds of religious prosecution up to a cut-off date.
He also referred to the razing of a mosque in Ram Snehi Ghat tehsil on the Barabanki-Ayodhya border in May by authorities who said it was an illegal structure. But the local community insisted that it had stood there for a century.
The AIMIM chief said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath “sacrificed” the mosque when there was talk of replacing him in the state.
Mr Owaisi hit out at "Modi-Yogi" governments over the deaths of thousands of people during the coronavirus pandemic, attributing them to a shortage of oxygen and lack of proper treatment.
He said bodies of many Covid victims were disrespectfully released in the rivers.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen leader began this election tour from Ayodhya district on Tuesday and addressed a public meeting in Sultanpur the next day.
The trip to the politically sensitive state ended with the rally at Barabanki, on the doorsteps of capital Lucknow.
Both the SP and the BSP have criticised him for being a “spoiler of Muslims votes" to help the ruling BJP.
"If I Dig Up Parliament, Find Something...": A Owaisi On Mosque Surveys AAP Ex Councillor Tahir Hussain To Fight Delhi Polls On Asaduddin Owaisi's Party Ticket High Court Judge Says Law Works According to Majority, A Owaisi Reacts Pics: Rahul Gandhi's Family Lunch At Iconic Delhi Restaurant Is Safe Car Enough? Volvo Crash That Killed CEO, Family Sparks Big Question Snack Food Epigamia Founder Rohan Mirchandani Dies Of Cardiac Arrest At 41 1 Dead As Brazil Bridge Collapses, Truck Carrying Acid Falls Into River Plane Crash Kills Brazil Businessman, 9 Family Members Donald Trump Vows To "Stop Transgender Lunacy" On Day One In Office Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.